Barrio Balboa

About Barrio Balboa:

Barrio Balboa is bounded by Herrera to the north, with the Río Caimito along that line, by Playa Leona and Puerto Caimito to the south, by Barrio Colón to the east and by Guadalupe and El Coco to the west. The Panamericana and the Arraiján–La Chorrera autopista both cross it, which puts most sectors a short drive from one road or the other. Avenida de las Américas is the working street, with furniture showrooms, eateries and commercial buildings facing the traffic. To reach Panama City you head east on the autopista and cross the Canal, and the journey depends mostly on the hour you leave.

The corregimiento was created in November 1909 as Occidente, the western half of the town, out of a short list of streets that included La Real, El Comercio, El Agua and what was then the new street of Los Guayabitos. It was renamed Balboa in 1927. The blocks closest to the centre still hold the oldest houses in the corregimiento. Further out, people give their address by sector rather than by corregimiento: Naos, San Nicolás, Santa Elena, El Marañonal, La Tulihueca, Peñascal, El Hatillo, Los Chorritos and Martín Sánchez. Toward Chorrera Norte, residenciales such as Villa Cristina and Praderas del Campo added rows of houses built to one plan.

Parque Libertador, with the Anfiteatro Lucía “Chía” Ureña, is where the corregimiento gathers, and it hosts agroferias where growers sell straight to the public. The Casa del Artesano Chorrerano is in Barrio Balboa, and so is the Festival Nacional de la Cumbia. The Feria started in 1960 in a school yard and moved to Los Guayabitos in 1963; today it is the biggest event of its kind in Panamá Oeste, with farm produce, the district’s pineapple, folk dancing and a concert every night. For the neighbours that means heavy traffic, scarce parking and late music for close to two weeks a year.

Parts of the corregimiento sit on slopes, and that is the first thing to look at in a house here. A landslide in San Nicolás after heavy rain damaged three homes, and plots along the Río Caimito on the northern edge sit close to the water. The sewer network is still being extended: the national sanitation programme is laying pipes in El Marañonal as part of the Martín Sánchez 1 collector, and El Hatillo has joined the same project. Whether a house drains to a sewer or to a septic tank still depends on the sector, so ask before you make an offer.

Houses in Barrio Balboa:

Detached houses make up nearly everything that changes hands. In older sectors such as Naos a house can stand on several hundred square metres, with a terrace, a yard and parking for more than one car. In Villa Cristina and Praderas del Campo the houses are newer, two or three bedrooms on standard residencial lots, and some phases were delivered within the last decade. Anyone shopping for houses for sale in Barrio Balboa is usually choosing between more land around an older house and a newer house with less space around it. On an older house, check that every extension has a municipal permit.

Land and Lots in Barrio Balboa:

Vacant land is rare in an urban corregimiento, so most plots on offer either come with an older house the buyer plans to replace or sit on the main road and are sold as commercial land. Contiguous lots on the main road are sometimes offered together for a larger commercial project. Before you buy, ask the municipality what the plot may be used for, and compare the boundaries on the ground with the survey plan registered with the finca.

Rentals in Barrio Balboa:

Long-term rental here means mostly houses, some on a generous plot, let to families who work in La Chorrera or commute along the autopista. There is no short-stay market to speak of. Ask who pays for water and refuse collection, and check the roof and the drains before the rains start.

Commercial Property in Barrio Balboa:

Avenida de las Américas and the Panamericana frontage hold most of the commercial stock: street-level shop units, small commercial buildings and large plots with sheds behind them. Some owners let premises unit by unit and some restrict the kind of business they will accept, so read the terms before you plan a fit-out. For a business, visibility from the avenue and parking for customers weigh as much as floor area. Confirm the operating permit for your activity before you sign.

FAQ:

• How does the Feria affect a house near Los Guayabitos?

  The fair runs for about twelve days between late January and early February, and the streets around the grounds take most of the traffic and the noise. If you can, see the house during the fair, or ask the neighbours how they get in and out of their street on those nights.

• Which sectors are part of Barrio Balboa?

  Naos, San Nicolás, Santa Elena, El Marañonal, Los Guayabitos, La Tulihueca, Peñascal, El Hatillo and Martín Sánchez all fall inside it. Addresses in La Chorrera are often written loosely, so the corregimiento that counts is the one on the finca’s record at the Registro Público.

• Is the house connected to the sewer?

  That depends on the sector. New networks are going in at El Marañonal and El Hatillo, while other streets still drain to septic tanks. Ask the seller, and ask the junta comunal or the neighbours which works are still pending on that street.

• What should I check before buying an older house on a slope?

  Start with the ground: cracks, retaining walls and the way rainwater leaves the plot, because San Nicolás has already had a landslide after a downpour. Then pull the finca at the Registro Público, confirm that the seller is the registered owner and that there are no liens, and check the permits for any extensions.

• Can a foreigner buy in Barrio Balboa?

  Yes, on the same terms as a Panamanian citizen for titled houses and land. The sale is recorded at the Registro Público, and a lawyer usually prepares the deed before a notary.